Harvey knew that "Like Crazy" was secured.
He made it a point to personally negotiate the distribution rights for every film, even if the other party was an obscure newcomer. This was the consistent strategy of the Weinstein brothers, expressing their sincerity, assessing the potential of the other party, and laying a solid foundation for long-term collaboration. After all, who knew if another Quentin Tarantino might emerge among these independent filmmakers?
Before today's meeting, Harvey had been somewhat curious about Renly, to a certain extent. Within just half a year, rising with the force of a rocket, carrying the mantle of a prodigy, and quickly establishing himself in Hollywood, Harvey wanted to see if Renly had the potential worth nurturing.
Aside from distribution, The Weinstein Company also ventured into production, making an impact during each year's awards season. They also had a roster of closely collaborating actors, including Judy Dench, Michelle Williams, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, and more. Exceptional actors not only ensured the quality of films but were also the best choices for vying in the acting categories during awards season.
So, at intervals, Harvey would evaluate a batch of potential newcomers, casting a wide net to catch big fish. Currently on Harvey's list of prospects were Jennifer Lawrence and Renly Hall.
In the short interaction just now, Renly's confidence and sharpness had left a deep impression on him. It was apparent that he was still only twenty-one years old; the arrogance of youth was unmistakable.
While youthful vigor was a good thing, it wasn't easily controlled in terms of collaboration. Harvey felt that Renly's sharpness needed some refining. After rolling in Hollywood for another two years, he would grow into a qualified industry professional.
His judgments about Renly were merely fleeting thoughts in Harvey's mind. He promptly shifted his focus back to "Like Crazy". He had already started pondering the film's distribution plan and public relations strategy.
"October." That was Harvey's vision. He leaned slightly forward, exuding a sense of pressing urgency, yet spoke with full confidence, "My positioning for the film is "An Education", rather than "Blue Valentine". I believe we have a good chance during next year's awards season, especially in the acting and screenplay categories."
This was the second bomb Harvey had thrown out—the first being $1.5M.
Harvey believed that under the continuous bombardment of these two heavyweight bombs, Drake would be utterly defenseless. Thus, this collaboration case was concluded entirely. Other competitors might not even have the chance to negotiate. The Weinstein Company had already sealed the deal, far ahead of the competition.
What differentiated "An Education" from "Blue Valentine"?
In 2009, "An Education" secured heavyweight nominations for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actress at the Oscars. In 2010, "Blue Valentine", though its Oscar nominations hadn't been announced yet, was experiencing a noticeable slowing of its momentum. The greatest possibility was that it would only secure a Best Actress nomination, and it wasn't impossible for it to be overshadowed.
Both films were small-scale romantic movies, with no grand ambitions at their core. They didn't delve into historical context or societal changes. These aspects were shared in common with "Like Crazy".
Now, Harvey was positioning "Like Crazy" as this year's "An Education".
"An Education" was being handled by Sony Pictures Classics for distribution and operations. Its promotional trajectory was quite clear—debuting at Sundance, followed by screenings at the Berlin Film Festival. In the latter half of the year, it would be showcased at various film festivals in Toronto, Helsinki, Chicago, New York, London, and Telluride. In October, there would be preview screenings in North America, followed by a comprehensive release at the end of November and the beginning of December.
On one hand, there was the accumulation of sufficient word-of-mouth, and major film festivals in various major cities shone brightly. On the other hand, there was no excessive greed; the focus remained on the lead actress and the original screenplay. Unexpectedly, this led to a Best Picture nomination, a consequence of excellent word-of-mouth accumulation.
Harvey believed that "Like Crazy" could completely replicate this development trajectory and achieve remarkable success.
However, Harvey's calculations had gone astray. "Can we clearly state in our collaboration agreement that Renly can receive ten percent of the box office revenue?" Drake's words made Harvey's heart skip a beat; he almost thought he was having a heart attack.
Harvey stared blankly at Drake, thinking he might be joking. However, he couldn't find any hesitation on that face. It was full of sincerity, beyond doubt, and even carried a hint of nervous anticipation.
Renly, who had been observing quietly, noticed the stiffness at the corner of Harvey's mouth and couldn't help but suppress a chuckle. To make Harvey almost lose control of his expression, Drake was quite something.
Harvey had never expected that whether it was "An Education" or "Blue Valentine", this actually didn't matter to Drake. To him, Drake was just a film enthusiast, fully dedicated to the world of movies. While the glory of awards season certainly brought joy, what he was more concerned about was "Like Crazy", a work that held special meaning for him.
Therefore, Harvey's second bomb had no effect whatsoever. What Drake cared about even more was Renly's treatment.
However, the problem was that Drake was a complete outsider in negotiations, unfamiliar with tactics or industry rules. Right off the bat, he brought up ten percent. This was the treatment of A-list actors. In terms of the percentage of box office revenue, this was akin to directly taking a quarter of Harvey's profit.
This wasn't just unreasonable; it was naively romantic.
"Ahem." Harvey cleared his throat lightly, then smiled, brushing aside his brief lapse in composure, "I think you might have misunderstood. What I meant was an outright purchase, not a share. $1.5M, a fixed price, to buy the North American rights for "Like Crazy"."
Drake's brows slightly furrowed as he looked at Renly. He seemed not to understand the difference between an outright purchase and a share, and hesitated, saying, "Even if it's an outright purchase, Renly still wants ten percent."
This audacious insistence on not playing by the rules irritated Harvey.
In fact, with an outright purchase, after paying $1.5M to Drake, how much he wanted to give Renly was entirely up to him. Not to mention ten percent, even if Drake gave Renly the entire $1.5M, nobody else could say a word.
Such a straightforward concept led Harvey to naturally assume that Drake should be aware of it. So, Drake's previous request meant that due to Renly's involvement, he was demanding a higher offer of ten percent.
Harvey felt this wasn't merely the arrogance of youth; it was even a bit presumptuous. For a newcomer to audaciously demand a ten percent share, even though "Like Crazy" was an independent film where costs and profits were often shared among the entire crew, it was still too absurd and ridiculous.
"Drake, about the contract details, we can discuss them gradually. We have enough time. We can go through it line by line, take our time discussing." Harvey employed the classic strategy of "dragging" to get Drake to make a decision first. Then, the details could be polished slowly. Harvey believed that under the lawyer's scrutiny, everything would work out fine.
But Harvey miscalculated once again. Drake shook his head, straightforwardly stating, "I have no objections to anything else except this one point – Renly's ten percent share of the box office revenue."
For Drake, $1.5M in rights fees had already satisfied him. It would not only allow him to repay the debts incurred for "Like Crazy", but also cover the salaries of all the actors and crew members.
Initially, to make this film, Drake had only managed to secure a sponsorship of a mere hundred and fifty thousand dollars from an independent film company that had been in operation for less than a year, the Pittsburgh Indians. The remaining costs were covered by personal bank loans taken out under Drake's name. This was also why Drake couldn't offer a higher fee to Renly at the time.
Simultaneously, he would also gain a substantial amount of funds for preparing his next film.
Drake was an easy-to-please person. He wasn't greedy and had no ambitions. He felt that things were already quite good. There was just one condition. When Renly originally received a mere twenty thousand dollars for his acting fee, that fee, even in the television industry, was considered third-rate. Drake remembered this favor deeply.
Faced with Drake's unyielding stance, Harvey's anger surged.
It wasn't that the "ten percent" was an issue. Calculated against $1.5M, ten percent was only one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and this was still an extremely favorable deal for buying the North American distribution rights for "Like Crazy". The problem was he disliked this feeling—of authority being challenged, of being hoodwinked. Especially, it was because of an actor that this mess had come about.
He didn't like it.
So, Harvey abandoned his plan to continue negotiating with Drake. He shifted his gaze to Renly, adding a touch of scrutiny and even teasing, scanning him up and down, "I thought you were an actor."
The implication was that actors shouldn't be so greedy and demand excessive fees.
In reality, Renly wasn't too concerned about box office bonuses. He took on "Like Crazy" not primarily for the payment. However, this didn't mean he would stand by and let Harvey take advantage of the crew of "Like Crazy", especially now that Harvey had targeted him directly, hadn't he?
Renly responded with a faint smile, unruffled and composed. He calmly retorted, "You truly are a producer."
The implication was that a producer's objective was to continuously squeeze actors, directors, and writers to secure more profits for themselves.
Instead of getting angry, Harvey became more composed. He turned slightly, facing Renly squarely. He spoke formally, "So, ten percent share? Hm?"
Renly, however, didn't back down at all. A slight curve appeared at the edge of his eyebrows, "A buyout for $1.5M? Hm?"
"What's the matter? Are you not satisfied with this figure?" Harvey gestured for Renly to mark a line.
"Should I be satisfied?" Renly's counter-question made a faint furrow appear on Harvey's forehead. Curiosity lit up his eyes as he thoughtfully said, "I thought you said before that "Like Crazy" isn't "Blue Valentine" but "An Education"?"
Between these words, there lay both explicit mockery and subtle sarcasm. Before Drake could even react, Harvey and Renly had exchanged several rounds of verbal sparring, and the tension in the air had become palpable.